Miles M.14 Magister

On 26.10.1940 my father John R Watson was a P /O training at Carlisle airport with No 15 EFTS in the above plane R1853, in his service flying log he added the following note :-
``It was the practice for the flight of 5 machines to take off together and separate for the instructors to deal with their own pupils.
Carlisle Airport was only a grass field and the planes were picketed out each night next to the flight office which was a tent, During the night of 25th October there was a heavy frost and the wings were covered with frost. By the time the instructors had taxied the planes into a `V` formation for take off a considerable amount of field had been used up. Formation take off is also slow. These factors together with the frost meant that none of the plane were properly airborne and they all crashed.
One hit a perimeter guard tent killing a guard, and another hit a hanger,a third flew between two hangers and landed on a house opposite. My plane went through a hedge and finished in the middle of the main road.
The pupils were all shocked and regretted volunteering for aircrew, but the instructors took us straight back up again``.
My dad gained his wings and trained as an instructor, in late Sept 1941 he was sent to Canada and on 25th Oct 1941 was stationed in Calgary with No 37 S.F.T.S. He ended his service in Canada as John.R.Watson F /L Trainer Instructor and returned to England in April /May of 1944, He carried on in the RAF in many roles and was de-mobbed in March 1946

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The first flight I ever had was in a Miles Magister, on airtest out of Denham flying club in the late 1940s where I was a trainee mechanic. Reg No GA-JGM Is it still flying?

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Hello,
I study Turkish aviation history. I need miles magister plane and Turkey. Please could you help me or what can I do some knowledge this subject? Which archives or books or etc...
Please help me,
Thank you..
Best wishes,


Ast.Prof.Dr. Serap Tasdemir,
University of Inonu
Malatya Turkey

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Flew only once in the Magister, for one hour at Blackbushe.
Cost my father ten shillings to use the aircraft which was owned by an Airwork Pilot. Nothing like an open cockpit, fresh air and excellent viewing.

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I got my licence with The Scottish Flying Club at Renfrew Scotland in 1955 flying a red Miles Magister C-AJRV just before I lrft for Canada. I found later than Roger Victor had a fatal crash two years later.

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I had ab initio training in this aircraft at Carlisle in 1942. It had landing flaps, unusual in a primary trainer I did my first solo in the Maggie before leaving for training in Canada.

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